Stats show sections of country untouched by tornadoes for decades

(WAFF) - A large portion of the country - 18 states, in fact - have counties that have not experienced a tornado in 65 years.

In those 18 states, 88 of the more than 3,000 counties or parishes in the lower 48 states have not had a reported tornado from 1950, when reliable records began.

California boasts the most counties with 12, followed by Washington with 11.

Alabama wasn't on the list, but Georgia and Tennessee each have one county noted.

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, many of the counties are in mountainous areas or are not highly populated, so it's possible that a tornado has occurred there since 1950, but it was just not spotted or reported.

Another interesting fact - no tornadoes were reported through the first half of March 2015 anywhere in the U.S.